* The vast impact of Arabic: Arabic, a language with strong African roots, has significantly influenced English through trade, scholarship, and cultural exchange. Words like "algebra," "alcohol," "checkmate," and even "coffee" come from Arabic.
* Trade and colonization: Trade routes and colonial ventures brought words from various African languages into English. Examples include "banana," "zebra," "okra," and "chimpanzee."
* Indirect influence: Even words that seem purely English often have roots in languages that were themselves influenced by Africa. For instance, Latin, a major source of English vocabulary, was spoken in North Africa and borrowed words from Berber languages.
Therefore, it's nearly impossible to definitively say that *any* English word has zero connection to Africa.
Perhaps the question could be rephrased to ask about words with a less direct connection to African roots, or those that are more likely to have originated elsewhere. Would you like to explore that?